Hinged door construction



s R E D N A s E. E.

HINGED DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 14, 1935 INVENTOR. www L @am da@ Patented Sept. 17, 1935 PATENT OFFICE HINGED DOOR CONSTRUCTION Ernest EVSanders, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 14, 1933, Serial No. 702,284

8 Claims.

tions, and is more particularly directed to controlling the swinging movements. of such doors. An important object of the invention is the provision of novel and improved hinging and` supporting means for swinging doors.

A further object is the provision, in combination with a doorthe movements of which are affected by gravity, of combined door controlling and counterbalancing'means so designed as to both assist opening of the door and yieldably maintain itin closed position.

Still another object is the provision of controlf ling means for hinged doors adapted to urge a door to which it is applied toward closed position when the door is on one side o-f a predetermined point in its path of travel, and to resist such closing movement and urge the door toward opened position when it is on the other side of such predetermined point, as well as to counterbalance the weight of the door during a desired portion of its movement.

A still further object is the provision of a folding door construction operable from a point near the juncture of the folding sections and incorporating improved means for guarding the operator thereof against injury by accidentally catching a hand or fingers in the crack between the folding sections.

Other objectsY and advantages will be apparent"y from the following description, wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

. In the drawing:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a show case construction provided with a folding` door of my improved construction;

Figure 2 is a side View of the door in closed position, showing a fragment of the case;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing oneof my improved hinge constructions with its parts inl the position they assume when the door is closed;

Figure 4 is a similar sectional View showing'.

l. looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing, reference character I designates generally a refrigerated show A vure 4).

This invention relates to hinged door construcv case, which is illustratively shown as a suitable enclosure to which my swinging door construction is adapted to be applied. The case is provided with an inclined front show window I2, as well as an inclined rear wall I4 through which 5 access is afforded to the interior of the case by folding doors I5-I6. At their abutting edges the doors are articulated in the usual or any desired manner, as by means of butt hinges Il (Fig- The opposite edge of the door I5 is 10 hinged to the wall I4 of the case by means of hinges, generally designated I8, which are of novel construction and constitute an important feature of the invention.

Each hinge comprises a supporting plate I9, secured to the wall I 4 in any suitable manner, as by screws 2i, and a flap 26 similarly secured to the door I5 and pivoted to the plate I9 by means of pintle 22. The doors may be opened and vclosed by means of a handle 24 attached 20 to the door I5 near its outer edge. Beneath the handle 24 is arranged a guard plate 25 which projects over the juncture between the door sections IE-IB, and so guards the operators hands against being pinched in the crack between the 25 sections. The guard plate is shown secured in place by means vof the same screws 26 by which the handle is attached. It will be apparent that as the door I5 is opened by pulling upwardly upon handle 24 the section I6 tends to fold 30 downwardly and against the section I 5 under the influence of gravity, which is active by virtue of the inclined arrangement of the door assembly, until when the door is completely opened the sections lie virtually one against the other, as indicated in Figure 4. To counterbalance the weight of and so assist opening movement of the door, I provide a spring 3B, which is so arranged, however, that it acts to yieldably hold the door in closed position as well as to counterbalance it in the manner stated.Y The spring acts in tension, and is pivotally connected at one extremity to the door section I5, as by being secured to the door end of a rod 28, which end of the rod is articulated to the door section I5 by means of a ball portion 29 carried by the rod and rotatably re- `tained in a socket portion 3| mounted on the hinge flap 20 near' its free end. At its other eX- tremity the rod 28 is slidable in a bore 33 extending through the spring coupling member 34,

1 to which coupling member the other end of the substantially on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 and` spring is secured. n The coupling member 34 is pivoted to the frame i4, as by means of the pin 36 and bracket portion as, the latter earned by the exea hinge plate 19.55

When viewed from its side and looking in the direction of the plane of the door, the member i311 is of such angular shape, and the centers of the pins 22, 29, 36 are so arranged relatively thereto, that when the door is completely closed the center of pintle 22 lies outside a straight line connecting the centers of pins 29, 36, while when the door has been opened slightly, and beyond a predetermined point, the outward movement 0f the center of pin 29 moves such line of connection outside the center of pin 22.y It will be seen that a snap-over action is eiiected by virtue of the fact that when the line connecting the centers of pins 29-36 lies inside the center of pin 22, the tension of the spring tending to draw pins 29--36 toward each other holds the door yieldably closed, while after the line has.

crossed the center of pin 22 in its outward movement during opening of the door, the tension of the spring tends to open the door and to yieldably hold it in opened position, as well as counterbalancing its weight during the greater portion of the opening movement.

During opening movement of the door the free end of rod 28 also slides through the coupling member 34 until its end projects from the rear end of the coupling member, as shown in Figure 4. When the door is completely opened this projecting end of the rod 28 strikes the plate I9, and serves as a stop limiting opening movement of the door.

Surrounding the door opening may be a resilient sealing strip 38 against which the overhanging flange portion, as I6', of the doors may iit in such manner as to compress the strip and so tightly seal the opening when the door is closed. Along its upper edge the door opening may also be guarded by a wear strip, as 40, of hardened metal or the like, against which a rounded bearing portion 4l, projecting from the free extremity of door section I6, may slidably engage during opening and closing movements oi' the door, to prevent undesirable Wear of the frame adjacent the door opening as well as reduce friction.

While it will be apparent that the illustrated embodiment of my invention herein disclosed is well calculated to adequately fulll the objects and advantages primarily stated, it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible to Variation, modication and change Within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting wall inclined from the vertical and having a door opening therein, a door pivotally aflixed to the wall adjacent the door opening and affected by gravity in its swinging movements, and means hingedly supporting the door and so iniluencing its swinging as to counterbalance the effect of gravity upon the door during the major portion of swinging movement thereof and urge the door toward opened position when it is opened beyond a predetermined point, as well as to augment the force of gravity in urging the door toward closed position when it is closed beyond said point, said means comprising a hinge including a pintle and a pair of aps pivoted thereon, one flap being secured to the supporting wall and the other to the door, a tension spring connected at one end to the door and at the other end to the supporting wall, the effective points of connection of the spring being so arranged that when the door 1s fully closed a straight line connecting said points lies on one side of the center of the pintle, while upon opening the door beyond a predetermined point such line crosses to the other side of the center of the pintle.

2. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a door hinged along a non-vertical edge to the supporting wall adjacent the door opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door, including a hinge having a pair of flaps, one connected to the door and the other to the supporting wall, a pintle pivotally connecting the iiaps and the axis of which is located farther from the wall than the outer surface of the door when closed, a spring connected at one end to the door and the other to the supporting wall, the points of connection of the ends of the spring being located on an imaginary straight line which crosses the axial line of the pintle during swinging movement of the door, whereby the direction in which the spring tends to swing the door depends upon which side of the axial line of the pintle such imaginary line is located.

3. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a door hinged along a non-vertical edge to the supporting wall adjacent the door opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door, including a hinge having a pair of ilaps, one flap being connected to the door and the other to the supporting wall, a pintle pivotally connecting the flaps and the axis of which is 1ocated farther from the supporting wall than is the surface of the door when closed, spring means for controlling swinging movements of the hinge naps and so of the door, including a spring abutment member articulated to each flap, a spring connecting said abutment members and tending to draw the flaps together, the points of connection of the abutment members and the flaps being so located that an imaginary straight line connecting such points of connection crosses the axial line of the pintle during normal swinging movement of the door.

4. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting wall having a door opening therein, a door hinged along a non-vertical edge to the supporting wall adjacent the door opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door, including a hinge having a pair of flaps, one iiap being connected to the door and the other to the supporting wall, a pintle pivotally connecting the fiaps, spring means for controlling swinging movements of the iiaps and so of the door, including a spring abutment member articulated to each flap, a spring connecting said abutment members and tending to urge the naps in one relative direction, and a spring locating portion carried by the abutment member articulated to the flap which is connected to the door and extending slidably through the spring and through the other abutment member, said member being engageable with a part carried by the supporting wall when the door is opened to the maximum desired extent to serve as a stop preventing further opening movement thereof.

5. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting wall having an opening therein, a door hinged to the wall appurtenant one edge of the opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door including a hinge having a pair of flaps, one ap being connected to the door and the other to the wall, a pintle pivotally connecting the flaps, and a spring articulated to both flaps and loaded by movement of the door to react in a substantially rectilinear line, said line of reaction crossing an imaginary line extending through the axis of the pintle during swinging movement of the door.

6. In a hinged door construction, in combination with a supporting Wall having an opening therein, a door hinged to the wall appurtenant one edge of the opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door including a hinge comprising a pintle and a pair of flaps pivoted thereon, one flap being connected to the door and the other to the wall, a spring articulated to each flap and loaded by movement of the door to react in a substantially rectilinear line, and means connecting the spring to at least one of said flaps comprising a member arched over the pintle and pivoted to the flap at a point closer to the doo-r than the pintle when the door is in one position, whereby during swinging movement of the door said line of reaction crosses the axis of the pintle.

7. In a hinged door construction, in combination With a supporting wall having an opening therein, a door hinged to the Wall appurtenant one edge of the opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door including a hinge comprising a pintle and a pair of flaps pivoted thereon, one ap being connected to the door. and the other to the wall, a spring articulated to each flap and loaded by movement of the door tov react in a substantially rectilinear line, articulating means for connecting the spring to the aps including members one hingedly connected to each flap and projecting generally toward the other.

8. In a hinged door construction, in combination With a supporting wall having an opening therein, a door hinged to the wall appurtenant one edge of the opening, and means for controlling swinging movement of the door including a hinge comprising a pintle and a pair of flaps pivoted thereon, one flap being connected to the door andthe other to the Wal1,a spring articulated to each ap and loaded by movement of the door to react in a substantially rectilinear line, articulating means for connecting the spring to the aps including members one hingedly connected to each flap and projecting generally toward the other, said members being slidably intertted.

ERNEST E. SANDERS. 

